returning to simple living

kamikazi birds & trying to keep my front window bird-face print free

Yet another poor bird has crashed into my front window. While it’s amusing to the cat, most of the rest of us feel kinda bad for the poor birds. The last one left a dusty inprint on the window that we’d kept there for a while as a memorial to him (well, it was more out of laziness – I hate washing windows).

When the sun reflects off of the window, it reflects back like a mirror and for some reason attracts the birds right to it. I finally got around to washing my front window, so I took action and made a cut-out of a hawk to hopefully deter further kamikazi dives. The cut-out template can be found here.

I’m also hoping that the birdfeeder in front of the window might give them pause for a moment and make them slow down and consider a snack before smacking into the front window. I’ve seen Hitchcock’s The Birds often enough to not want birds crashing through my windows.

And if that doesn’t work, I hope the lounging tween on the swing beside the window will do the trick.

I gently picked up one such wee bird and gently stroked it back to consciousness as it stood and teetered on tiny legs. I set him aside safely and he eventually flew away. When I told this to my mother she was aghast – She wondered how many poor birdies she had buried alive! A horrible thought of course, but it made me laugh. The answer, I need to believe, is none.

One of my neighbor’s had the same problem, but the bird would not stop and was strategically testing all the windows for weeks on ends. She thought it was trying to get in the house to build a nest. Poor creatures! I love your decoy!

We keep having woodpeckers hit our window.
I’ll tell you a little secret though. In the event that a bird hits your window, but does not die, and instead lays dazed and confused in the soaking rain- and you bring it inside, make it a cozy little nest in an old Snack Pack box and set it beside the fire to dry up, then proceed to go out for dinner…..make sure your cats are outside. If you don’t, it won’t end well for the bird. *Ahem*

Hi Lighlycrunchy, Thank you so much for this. Each summer we get this trouble with birds that just crash on our big window and I was desesperate about a solution to avoid that, as from time to time, some got killed (roten neck due to the shock). I will print the template and hope it will keep those litlle birds from this trauma.

My pigeons have learned about my window – they are smart and know that if they avoid flying into it, at some point the glass will move and Froot Loops will appear….they is smart thems pigeons…perhaps TOO smart…Lill